Automobile starting mechanism.



I A. B. OLDS1 AUTOMOBILE STARTING MECHANISM. APELIOATIOH FILED MAY3,'1911.

Paiented Mar. 26, 1912;

- a 8HEET S-SHBET i.

r A. F.'OLDS. AUTOMOBILE STARTING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION m; MAY 3,-1'911.

, Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

' 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

QALROLDS. AUTOMOBILE STARTING MECHANISM. APPLIOATLON FILED MAY 3, 1911.

1,021,62 Patented Mar. 26, 191.2.

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UNITED. STATES rAT avT OFFICE.

.ALoNzor. OLDS, or ciIIcAGo; ILLINOIS."

AUTOMOBILE s'mn'rme MEC ANISM.

- Specification of Letters Patent. 'Patented :Mar, 26, 1912,

, Applicatign filed May a, 1911. Serial 1%. $24,726.

To all whom it may concern:

I lde'it known -that. I,"'ALOi\ Zo OLDS, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county-of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful .Im-

provements in Automobile' Starting Mechof Which-the following is atsp'ecification.

i to employ I obtain a footing Enginesof the gasolene type used for propelling automobiles and machinery ally requirethe initial expenditure of force when starting-and it :is the common practice aTc'rank as the-starting means, said crank :being manipulated by hand. Starting mechanism for internal combustion ,enginesoperable by hand is hazardous because of premature ignition producing back firing;- Moreover, the operation of the starting crank of an automobile is frequently attended with inconvenience and annoyance sincetheoperator often times is required to v in slush and damp places.

The present Invent-ion provides. a mechanism'admitting-of the starting of an auto mobile froni the drivers seat and wholly free from the dangers of premature explosiomsaid mechanism embodying a cylinder,

-.a piston arranged to operate in the cylinder,

- means for actuating the piston to draw in .requiredipoint of use, a valve-mechanism op-' tures,'-details of construction and comb1naparticularly set forth, companying drawings, the appended cla ms. I

tion of parts,

' ,Beferring to the drawings, forminga part of the-."specification, Figure'l is'a detail application of the invention to an internal combustion engine-used for driving an automobile. Fig. 2 is a sectioiial view. f 'Fig. 3 is a top plan view. Fig. at isan, enlarged section on the line l-4 of view, showing the Fig.2. Fig, 5 1s anenlar'ged plan view of, the valve for directing the gas to the proper cylinderof the engine. -Fig. 6 is a sectional View of the valve..

Corresponding and like to in the following description, and indigenerof the plate and connecting the ton 2*by means of a spring arts are referred cated in all the'views of the drawings,by

the same reference characters.

- The starting mechanism embodiesa'oylin der 1 in which is arranged to operate *a pi s- A ton 2=*, the latter having. connection with. an operating device 3 whichmay or a hand operated lever.

be a foot lev'erf' The" size of the cylinder'tand the stroke of the ist-ones" will vary and depend upon the nature of the .engi1ie for whi'ch the starting mechanism is} devised. Thecylinder '1 is closedatpneend a head 2 in which is formed an -.by means of and apassage 4, The head 2 opening 3 may be secured to the cylinder'in any man'- ner and as indicated the cylinder has an outer 'flange which is apertured' to receive the bolts or machine screws employed for connecting the parts. One or more braces 5 may be interposed between the cylinder and the framework of the machine so as "to. strengthen the. supporting means. 'The' head 2 hasan extension 6 in which is formed an opening 7 and a series ofpassages 8 the latter radiating from the opening 7 and adapted to be connected by pipes. 9 with the several cylinders comprising the engine or motor .providedfor driving the automobile,

orptherjnachinery to be operated. A plug valve 10 is mounted in the opening 7 and has anopening 11 to registe'r'with-any one of the passages'S'. flhevalve 10. has an'axial opening 12 in register with the passage 4.- and wit-h Which'the opening- 11 communicates. j The outerend of the: valve 10 is re- 'duced, the reduced portion receiving a spur wheel 13, a late 14, and a'washer 16. The plate 14 is sipped upon-thereduced end of the valve V i the shoulder formed at the'base thereof, nachine screws 17 passing through openings atter to the extension 6, thereby retaining the valve 10' 10 and obtains a bearing against in place andadinitting of adjustmentof the valve .to compensate for wear. The spur wheel 13 is secured to the reduced ortion 'ofthe valve 10 to turn therewith an is retained in place by thewasher 16, ,Theouter end of the rah/e10 isformed with a series of teeth 18 which are adapted to be engaged by means of a detent 15' so as to revent "backward rotationof the valve. I A oothed bar 20 is connected with the rod of the pis- 21] and is air ran ed to have its teeth 22 en age the spurs o ftlre wheel 13 so as to'turn t elatter upon the forward or instroke= of the piston 2*" tooth 22 engages a spurof the- -wheel-13,

thereby causing the opening 11 of-the'valve to successively register withthe passages' 8, thereby admitting a a charge,- of" gaseous mixture from the cylinder 1 intot-he cylinders of the engine. Upon theout or back stroke of the piston 2 the teeth of the bar 20 ride upon the spurs ofthe wheel 13 without imparting lany movement thereto, the spring 21 admitting of such action;

- The'generator is indicated at 23 and comprises a series of chambers 24 which are in' communicationwitlrone another and with the cylinder 1. A carburetor 25 of any make, design or variety'is employed in con nection with the'generator 23 fo r impregnata ingthe air Withtheliquid fuel to produce the gaseous mixture whichis drawn into the .cylinder 1 and forced therefrom through the passage t-ancl valve mechanism into the cylinder-sot the engine or motor. Thegenerator'23'is more in the nature of a mixer and-is supplied with s'ectioiis'of tubing 26 and -2'l13betweenwhic11 is located a tubeQS of absorbent'materialsuch as lamp wick, said parts serving-totbreak up fluid particles so as to produce a homogeneous gaseous mix ture which will ignite readily in the cylinder of the imotorso' as to start the same upon passage of the-spark at the proper time; The generator or mixer 23 may be connected tothe head 20f the cylinder in any manner as by means of a right and left hand threaded coupling28 It will be understood from the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, that an automobile or engine oftheinternal combustion typemay be readily started without requiring the operator to leave his seat in the machine or to turn a crank, thereby overcoming theobjections incident to the, use of a starting crank and free from the dangers resulting from backfiring when starting a gasolene engine by means ofthe'usual crank.

a From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be-readily apparent to those skilled inthe art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation of the invention, together withthe device which I ..now consider to be the embodimentthereof,

I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative, and that such chan es may be made when desired asare' Wifhlll the scope of the claims appended hereto.

gines embodylng multiple cylinders, the

combination of a cylinder, a piston arranged t'o'operate in the cylinder for drawing in a gaseous mixture and expelling the same, and a valve mechanism having :connection with the piston to beoperated thereby and having connection with each of the cylinders of theengine for supplyingthe same with an initial charge to produce an explosion upon thepassage of a spark.

2. In starting mechanism for explosive cngines, the combination of a cylinder having an inlet and having a dischargq opening in communication with each cylinder of the engine, a piston arrangedto operate in the cylinder, a valve for cont-rolling the discharge opening of the cylinder and the several passages leading to'the engine cylindersfand operating means connecting said valve with the piston to admit of'positively actuating said valve upon the forward stroke of the piston to expel the gaseous mixture from the cylinder. v

3. In starting mechanism for explosive engines embodying multiple cylinders, the combination of a cylinder,.a piston arranged to operate in the cylinder for drawinga gaseous mixture therein and expelling" the same therefrom, a valvemechanism having communication with the said cylinder and with each of the cylinders of the engine and connected with the piston to be operated thereby, a carburetor, a mixer arranged bea tween the carbureter and cylinder and comranged within said 0' up particlescontained in the gaseous mixture to produce and insurea homogeneous easily ignitible'mixture.

4. In engine starting mechanism, the combination of a cylinder, a piston arranged to operate therein, a rotatable valve for controlling theipassages between the cylinder and the several cylinders of the engine or motor, a spur wheel having connection with prising a series of'chgmbers, and means ar- -said' rotatable valve, and a toothed bar yieldably connected with the" piston and adapted to ride upon'the teeth of the spur wheel upon the back stroke ofthe piston and to engage with said spur Wheel. to operate the same upon the forward stroke of the piston to admit of the gaseous mixture passing to the cylinders of the engine in rotation.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

'. ALovZo F. OLDS.

Witnesses:

C. M. OLns,

FRANK KAUFMAN,-

copies of this patent may be obtained Iorfivecents-each', by. addressing the Commissioner of (Patents y p Washington, 110.; I p

ambers for breaking 

